India is no land of snake charmers ....

Magudi was a film released in 1984 starring Nalini and Mohan with hit melodies of Illayaraja….. the other day, returning home in the MRTS (in the afternoon) – entered a person, sat in the middle of the compartment doorway – took out and sort of repaired his magudi ….those sitting nearby whispered that he might be having a snake inside that cloth bag and wondered what would happen, if it were to escape out …. !!. 

Magudi, also called Punji is a wind instrument.   It is  bottle gourd attached to a double cane pipe cut in reeds. While one of the pipes gives the basic tonic, which it produces in a constant drone, the other pipe is able to play the tune. This pipe has finger holes that can be stopped just as in a flute.

For long, we have to battle the notion of India being a Nation of snake charmers and Maharajas. To them, people capable of handling snakes would be roaming on roads with snakes in their bags !!.... snake charming is the practice of pretending to hypnotise a snake by playing instruments. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts, as well as other street performance staples, like juggling and sleight of hand.  We used to see some of them and occasionally hooded snakes and mongooses too; not any longer – the hisses have died down, no longer monkeys tied to ropes …  -   India is the biggest democracy – snake charmers do have a right to exist –  it is a great Nation with diverse culture.

Once in a while, we do read of snakes including poisonous ones getting caught and getting released in the wild. The expert catchers sometimes still use the pipe instrument (magudi) and herbs.  Whether snakes hear, dance and get hypnotised by music is debated.  There is the famous song ‘Nathar mudi mel irukkum…’ (the one adorning the head of Lord Siva) is a popular tamil song, which at times in sung in Carnatic concerts too.  It was hit in the film ThiruvarutSelvar starring Sivaji Ganesan as Saivaite saint Appar. 

In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of historic Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modiji outlined his vision of a "digital India" that could compete with the world, hailing its IT professionals for changing the country's image as a land of snake charmers.

In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort, Modi said India had transformed itself because of its information technology outsourcing sector.  But more has to be done to get India digitally connected through the Internet and tap other technologies, he said. "Some 25 to 30 years ago, the world used to think we are a land of snake charmers and black magic. But our youth has surprised the world with its IT skills." "I dream of a digital India. It was once said railways connects India. Today I say IT connects India... I fully believe a digital India can compete with the world."  said Modiji, a tech-savvy politician who is immensely popular on Facebook and Twitter.  He added that "Our dream should be to see the 'Made in India' signs in every corner of the world."

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

18^th Sept. 2014.

Otha Roova Nottu ............. (the One Rupee Note)

Even in the modern World, where people live peacefully in ‘credit’ and dealing with credit cords and Online payments – the importance of paper currency cannot be ignored.  Commonly, money simply means currency and coins. Coins in India are presently being issued in denominations of 50 paise, one rupee, two rupees, five rupees and ten rupees. Coins up to 50 paise are called 'small coins' and coins of Rupee one and above are called 'Rupee Coins'. Coins in the denomination of 1 paise, 2 paise, 3 paise, 5 paise, 10 paise, 20 paise and 25 paise have been withdrawn from circulation with effect from June 30, 2011 and are, therefore, no longer legal tender. The Government of India has the sole right to mint coins. The responsibility for coinage vests with the Government of India in terms of the Coinage Act, 1906 as amended from time to time.   Coins are minted at the four India Government Mints at Mumbai, Alipore, Saifabad(Hyderabad), Cherlapally (Hyderabad) and NOIDA (UP)

The rupee notes are issued in the denomination of : 1000; 500; 100; 50; 20; 10; 5;2 & 1 .....  ..... as most would know – the One rupee note is different from others.  Other than the noted fact that Re 1 note bears the signature of Secretary of Ministry of Finance – all other currency notes of India  have that of Governor of RBI – all notes other than One rupee note have printed on them – ‘Guaranteed by the Central Government’’  and “I promise to pay the bearer the sum of .... Rupees” ........

The Currency Department in RBI attends to the core statutory function of note and coin issue and currency management. This involves forecasting the demand for fresh notes and coins,  printing and distributing them. Recently, there has been some discussion on whether Govt. Of India can continue to print Re.1 currency note, which is put to rest by Law Ministry statement that Government of India has all the powers to print currency notes of this denomination. The Government of India also has the sole right to mint coins of all denominations.

Since the RBI was of the view that with the repeal of Section 2 of the Currency Ordinance, the Government of India is not empowered to issue note of denominational value of one rupee, the law ministry opinion was taken. The Law Ministry in its opinion stated that the Coinage Act of 2011, which consolidates the laws relating to coinage and the mints, does not bar the Government of India from printing one rupee notes. Section 4 of the Act provides that the central government may authorise minting of coin of denomination not higher than Rs. 1,000, it said, adding that the definition of coin in the Act makes it clear that Government of India one rupee note is included in the definition of coin.  The Act defines a coin as “made of any metal or any other material stamped by the Government or any other authority empowered by the Government in this behalf and which is a legal tender including commemorative coin and Government of India one rupee note,” the ministry said in its opinion. “Further, apart from the metal, the coin may be made of any other material,” it said.

The ministry said while repealing the Currency Ordinance, 1940, “necessary provisions for inclusion of Government of India one rupee note within the meaning of ‘Coin’ have been consciously incorporated in the Coinage Act, 2011. Further, the RBI, as per Section 24(1) of the RBI Act, 1934, is not empowered to issue bank note of denomination of value of one rupee.” “Central government is not precluded to issue one rupee Government of India note under the Coinage Act, 2011. The dimension, design, material and standard weight of such One Rupee Note have to be prescribed by the Central Government in terms of Section 4 and 5 of the Coinage Act, 2011,” the opinion said.

It may not be in circulation now, but the currency ordinance and right to print still exist.  Incidentally, one could observe that in the photo – both Re.1 and Rs.2 bear the signature of Dr Manmohan Singh, who was our PM from 2004 to 2014.  The Economist born in Gah worked in various positions including UN in 1966; some of the key posts held include – advisor to Ministry of Foreign Trade,  Secretary in Finance Ministry and Governor of Reserve Bank of India.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

11^th Sept. 2014.

wild tortoises smuggled to Tamil Nadu - 3 arrested

Often we read about endangered animals being smuggled – and getting caught by Customs at Airports. Tortoises frequently figure in that - Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling turtles in the order Testudines. They are generally reclusive animals.   The angonoka tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) is a critically endangered species of tortoise endemic to Madagascar. It is also known as the ploughshare tortoise. 

In Feb this year, 22 Olive Ridley turtle nests were sighted along the Marina and Elliot’s stretches by conservation volunteers – and that is stated to be the largest sighting seen on a stretch on a day.  Olive ridley turtles come to land to lay their eggs and return to sea.

According to Firstpost, in a rare (not the carriage but being caught) incidence over 100 wild tortoises, which were meant to be smuggled to Tamil Nadu, have been seized from three women train passengers in Thrissur district. Acting on a tip off, police carried out a check in a Chennai-bound train and seized the species from them.  The women, all hailing from Tamil Nadu, had boarded the train from Alappuzha with a basket full of wild tortoises, police said. The seized creatures and the smugglers were handed over to the Wildlife Department personnel today. Wild tortoises are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

Meanwhile, animal rights groups alleged that the latest incident showed that Kerala was becoming an export hub of tortoises of wild species. Noted animal rights campaigner Heritage Animal Taskforce charged that many hotels in the southern part of the country offer various types of dishes made of these protected species.

In 2011  Huffingtonpost reported of a Japanese man pleading guilty to smuggling 55 live turtles and tortoises from his country into the United States by hiding them in snack food boxes. Federal prosecutors said in a statement that 39-year-old Atsushi Yamagami pleaded guilty to one felony count of smuggling in a Los Angeles courtroom. Yamagami faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for this crime.

In 2013 – 2  smugglers were caught by Thailand authorities attempting to sneak in  54 live ploughshare tortoises (also known as angonoka tortoises).  Media trying to report it sensationally stated that authorities have caught smugglers trying to sneak more than 10 percent of the remaining population of a critically endangered species into the country. Because the specie estimated to be left in the wild is between 200 to 400.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar                                 15^th Oct 2014.

Is this Britain's tallest horse ?

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), an African even-toed ungulate mammal is the tallest living terrestrial animal in the world.  Modern police departments offer their officers a wide array of ways to cruise around town. Besides the various motorised vehicles of different horse power – the police are also astride horses.  The horse units over the World are attractive, ceremonial protection for the Head of States, used in patrols, crowd control and more. Mounted police are star attraction. Chennai has the famous ‘Mounted battalion’ on good looking horses – and it is a treat to watch the small group canter by.  The added height and visibility that the horses give their riders allow officers to observe a wider area, and they are swift too.  In the UK, mounted police are most often seen at football matches, similarly at Chepauk stadium in Chennai.

Though mechanisation has replaced most farm animals – understand that in New Forest still they use horses to shift timber.  In India and many Asian countries, elephants used to haul timber.   Weighing one ton and capable of shifting timber the same weight as a double-decker bus in just one day, the Shire horses are being used to their full capacity in order to tackle overgrown woodland. They have been employed to work in areas that are deemed too dense and boggy for modern, heavy machinery.

Reading about the tallest of the horses – Daily Mail writes of a towering shire horse that is more than 8ft tall with appetite to match eating two stone of carrots every day.  Named Lincoln, it munches 24 apples, 11lbs of spinach and five cabbages daily - feeding him would cost an estimated £28.50 per day from a supermarket. The huge horse, Lincoln, had been rescued from slaughter by farmer Ruth Blair and James Mackie, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire and nursed back to health. He now stands at an incredible 6ft 10in from shoulder blades to hooves or 20 and a half hands high. The mammoth black Shire horse towers over other horses and Lincoln, who lives a life of luxury at Tannoch Stables in Cumbernauld, will continue to grow for the next two years.

The Shire horse is a breed of draught horse that  comes in many colours, including black, bay and grey. They are a tall breed, with mares standing 16 hands (64 inches, 163 cm) and over and stallions standing 17 hands (68 inches, 173 cm) and over. The breed has an enormous capacity for weight pulling, and Shires have held the world records for both largest overall horse and tallest horse at various times. Throughout its history, the breed has been popular for pulling brewery wagons delivering ale to customers. This practice continues today, with the breed also being used for forestry, leisure and promotional pursuits.

In 1878, the British organization now known as the Shire Horse Society was created, with the American Shire Horse Association beginning in 1885. The breed was exported from Britain to the United States in large numbers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but popularity fell as mechanisation increased.

The breed is said to be so calm and placid, that they would be no good in wars. However, it is because of war that the Shire horse came into being. Native British horses were quite small and light,  and when knights started wearing heavy suits of armour the horses were unable to carry them.  Hence heavier breeds from other continents were introduced to Britain – though warfare changed later, the horses continued.  Since horses were faster, they replaced oxen in some farms.  In UK reportedly Shire horses were used by brewers and later for promotional purposes and local deliveries.  They were heavily used in transportation of coal as well.   The Industrial Revolution saw the construction of a nationwide system of canals which enabled heavy loads to be transported long distances. The Shire was the ideal horse to use, towing the barges along the canals. They were also used to haul large wagons, drays, omnibuses and trams. The Railways, Tractors and other mean machines hastened the decline of big horses for works. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

10^th Oct 2014

illegal immigrant tries to cross into Dover in underside of horse box... !!

It is not ‘grass is greener on the other side’ – sometimes, the situation in the home front is so bad that people resort to every means to flee !

Valegro is a famous horse, the one  ridden by the British equestrian Charlotte Dujardin in the sport of dressage. He stands 16.2hh and has the stable name of Blueberry. He is a multiple World Champion in Dressage, such as winning WEG (World Equestrian Games) 2013 and 2014. The combination became part of the team which won gold in a European Dressage Championship event in Rotterdam.  Selected to represent Great Britain in the 2012 Summer Olympics, in the first round they set a new Olympic record.  

Calais  is a town and major ferry port in northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Calais overlooks the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the  English Channel, which is only 34 km (21 mi) wide here, and is the closest French town to England. The White Cliffs of Dover can easily be seen on a clear day from Calais. Calais is a major port for ferries between France and England, and since 1994.  Due to its position, Calais since the Middle Ages has been a major port and a very important centre for transport and trading with England. The town was virtually razed to the ground during World War II, when in May 1940, it was a strategic bombing target of the invading German forces who took the town during the Siege of Calais. Today, Calais is visited by more than 10 million annually. Aside from being a key transport hub, Calais is also a notable fishing port and a centre for fish marketing and some 3,000 people are still employed in the lace industry for which the town is also famed.

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel.  The name of the town derives from the name of the river that flows through it, the River Dour.

More than 2,500 migrants who are “willing to die” to come to Britain are currently in Calais, the mayor of the French port has told MPs. Natacha Bouchart, the centre-right UMP mayor of Calais, told the Commons home affairs committee during a special evidence session that part of the problem was that the British government had done nothing to tell potential migrants that there was no ‘El Dorado’ for them in the UK. Bouchart said that the nature of the migrants, many of whom came from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Syria and Egypt, was changing. They were becoming more violent with more mafia-types and people traffickers among them. She claimed that they were desperate to reach Britain because they had heard that asylum seekers received £36 a week subsistence in the UK.

An illegal immigrant was caught hanging on to the underside of a horse box transporting a racehorse from Calais to Dover.  Daily Mail reports that the man was found clinging to the chassis of the horse box carrying Valegro, which won gold with rider Charlotte Dujardin at the London Olympics in 2012. Police with sniffer dogs caught the man, who had chosen the largest and most accessible vehicle in the queue, as the vehicle was readying to return to England after an event in Norway.

Groom Alan Davies said: 'We had queued at a manned booth to check in for the train, with just a couple of cars in front of us, and after checking in we were told to pull over once we'd gone through the barrier. 'I thought they just wanted to check the gas was off as they do on the trains, but security came over and looked under the lorry. They then said: "There's someone under there". 'They'd seen him on CCTV waiting around and when he'd disappeared they became suspicious.' Mr Davies said that he was shocked by what happened as he had taken precautions to guard against stowaways.  If a trucker is caught with migrants in his vehicle when on British soil it is the driver, not the company, who is liable for a £2,000 fine.

Reports suggest that migrants are flocking to Calais in increasing numbers this year, with up to 2,000 people living in makeshift shelters as they wait to cross the English channel. The impoverished conditions in the port city has lead Natacha Bouchart, the mayor of Calais, to announce a new refuge for migrants, likened by many to the infamous Red Cross camp at Sangatte. French authorities insist they have been left with few options after fighting between migrant groups lead to 70 people being injured this summer, while people have also been targeted by criminals. Just last month a crew aboard a P&O ferry were forced to turn a firehose on a crowd of around 250 people as they tried to force their way on to the boat.

British dressage rider Carl Hester MBE, part of the 2012 team, tweeted: 'Valegro arrived safely back at Folkestone unlike the illegal immigrant found underneath the lorry!'

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

3^rd Nov. 2014.

those who clean the environ - keep society better - Appreciations !

 

Thiruvallikkeni is enjoying Chithirai Brahmothsavam of Sri Parthasarathi Emperuman – it is  grand annual Uthsav, congregation of thousands and to keep the streets clean and tidy requires herculean effort.  The Uthsavams happen with grandeur  with so many kainkaryabarargal – Battacharyargal; Arulicheyal goshti; Sripadham thangigal; Temple ulthurai staff,  mangala vadhyam; theevatti and so many other kainkaryabarargal – then there were the Police authorities and .. .. ‘the conservancy workers’.    

This post is on Sri Madhusudan Ramanuja dasan and his efforts in ensuring clean, hygiene, disease-free place !!!

"Cleanliness is next to godliness" is a well-known proverb emphasizing the high value of hygiene and orderliness, often linked to moral or spiritual purity.  It suggests that maintaining physical cleanliness—of body, home, and surroundings—is nearly as important as godliness itself, promoting both health and a pure mindset free from negativity.

"சுத்தம் சோறு போடும்" என்பது தூய்மை மட்டுமல்ல, சுகாதாரமான வாழ்க்கை முறையைக் கோருகிறது. சுத்தம் உணவு தயாரிப்பு, உடல் பராமரிப்பு ஆகியவற்றில் அவசியம்; இல்லையெனில் கிருமிகள் பரவி நோய்கள் ஏற்படும். இது திருக்குறள்   இலக்கியங்களிலும் வலியுறுத்தப்பட்டுள்ள  கருத்து.

ஒரு சமுதாயம் நலமுற வாழ்வதற்கு - சுற்றுச் சூழல் நன்றாக இருத்தல் அதி முக்கியம்.  நாம் வாழும் பகுதி சுத்தமாக பேணப்படுவதால், உடல் ஆரோக்கியமும், மனா ஆரோக்கியமும் நன்றாக இருக்கும்.  சமுதாயம் நலமுற வாழும்.  சுற்றுச் சூழல் கெடுவதால் மனித குலம் மட்டுமல்ல, விலங்கினங்களும், தாவர இனங்களும் அழிவுக்கு உள்ளாகும். நாம் எப்போதும் சுத்தமாக இருக்கவேண்டிய அவசியத்தை செந்நாப்போதார் திருவள்ளுவர் அழகாக எடுத்து உரைக்கின்றார். .  

கழாஅக்கால் பள்ளியுள் வைத்தற்றால் சான்றோர்

குழாஅத்துப் பேதை புகல். 

சான்றோர் கூடியிருக்கும் இடத்துள் அறிவற்றவன் நுழைவது, கழுவாத காலைப் படுக்கைமேல் வைத்தது போலாகும். 

Life in 1980s and in 2020s – certainly has changed .. .. those days, in Triplicane, we had long winding houses (resembling lanes) – there were tenants happily co-existing.  Now we have multi-storeyed apartments – people living in flats, mostly not knowing thy neighbour.  This is no post on harmony but on solid waste ! – those days there would be a cement dustbin infront of every house or in between – a round concrete dust bin kept by Corporation.  Corporation workers would come (with bullock-cart) clean and collect garbage; remember streets would be cleaned (with brooms) twice a day. Roads / the area was clean – not any longer ! – why, and who is to be blamed ?  Great value is often associated with a clean city. A clean city is a strong reflection of our moral and civic values. They do not just come by chance. They require – good strategy, execution, responsibility and dedicated maintenance.

Great value is often associated with a clean place.  A clean city is a strong reflection of our moral and civic values. They do not just come by chance. Almost everyone of us would feel bad on seeing things unclean and many would complain too – we expect that workers should be around 24 X 7, keep things clean and tidy – yet not many would appreciate the good work (when done) – recognize those unrecognized faces who ensure the tidiness.  

At Thiruvallikkeni during purappadu this year, Sri Madhusudan Ramanuja dasan – dedicatedly walks in front, sanitizing nuke and corner and every other part with chemical solution, ensuring the area is germ-free.  Not a small act ! considering the fact that the equipment / expenses / efforts are his own – not representing Govt or any other Organisation.    Heartily appreciate the  indomitable spirit of serving the society.  Thanks  Madhusudan swami.   

 

With regards – S Sampathkumar
2.5.2026
Pic Credit : Maaps India.